Google Makes ‘Google Fiber’ Official

Posted on July 26, 2012 2:22 PM by Rob Williams

Google has today formally announced its Google Fiber Internet service, causing those living in either Kansas City, MO or Kansas City, KS to jump for joy while making everyone else discover a new level of jealousy. While the initial packages themselves are priced well, it’s the talk of “Gigabit” that’s most exciting.

That’s right – while other ISPs that have been around for more than a decade are trying to impress with 300Mbit/s packages, Google’s spearheading the 1Gbit’s movement – a theoretical 1.25GB/s 125MB/s speed. While a single computer isn’t going to be able to saturate this connection, things begin to make a lot more sense if you have a data hungry family using multiple devices.

Google’s also offering a cable service to those with a fiber package, which includes about 100 popular cable channels including A&E, CBS Sports, Comedy Central, Discovery, G4, HGTV, History, MSNBC, MTV, SyFy and more. You’ll also have access to many online channels as well.

To the pricing: $120/mo for Gbit/s Internet + TV, $70/mo for just the Gbit/s Internet and $0/mo for “at least seven years” of free 5/1 Internet after a $300 installation fee (which includes the hardware).

The importance of this launch should not be understated. At the moment, most people in the US have sub-par Internet speeds, and bandwidth caps. Google’s clashing against those factors hard. If Google manages to spread out of Kansas and Missouri soon, they’re going to become a real threat to the companies that have been price-gouging their customers while offering lackluster service for more than a decade.

Bring it on!

Oh, and for one of the cutest Google marketing videos ever, check this out.